System and Method for Identity Management for Mobile Devices

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for managing a user identity on a mobile device are provided. The system comprises the mobile device comprising a user agent and a client application, the user agent and the client application in communication with each other. The system further comprises an identity provider in communication with the mobile device, and a client service in communication with the mobile device. The user agent is configured to communicate with the identity provider and retrieve the user identity for the client application, and the client application is configured to transmit the user identity to the client service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/397,348 filed on Feb. 15, 2012 and claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/443,168 filed on Feb. 15, 2011 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/443,175 filed on Feb. 15, 2011, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following relates to systems and methods for managing identityinformation on a mobile device.

BACKGROUND

A mobile device can be used for running various types of clientapplications. Examples of client applications include social networkingapplications, communication applications, advertising applications andbanking applications. Several client applications may be loaded onto amobile device, which makes the mobile device a resourceful tool.

Each application may require a user's personal information to operate.Such personal information is used to identify the user and is hereininterchangeably referred to as user identity information and userprofile data. Non-limiting examples of user identity information includefirst name, middle name, last name, birth date, sex, address, phonenumber, email address, citizenship, etc. For example, when registeringto use a client application on a mobile device, a user typicallyprovides the information requested by the client application. A user mayalso be required to provide further information upon logging into theclient application on their mobile device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described by way of example only with referenceto the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1( a) is a block diagram illustrating a mobile device incommunication with an identity provider and a client service.

FIG. 1( b) is a block diagram illustrating multiple mobile devices incommunication with the identity provider and the client service.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system in which data itemsare pushed from a host system to a mobile device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating example ones of the othersoftware applications and components shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for establishing a user identity during the factoryprocess.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for establishing a user identity upon powering up a mobiledevice.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram continuing from FIG. 6 illustrating examplecomputer executable instructions for signing in a user according totheir user identity.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram continuing from FIG. 7 illustrating examplecomputer executable instructions for registering a user identityaccount.

FIG. 9 is an example graphical user interface (GUI) for creating a newuser identity.

FIG. 10 is an example GUI for creating signing into a user account usingthe user identity.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for creating a user identity account.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for logging into a user identity account.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for a client application logging on to a client serviceusing the user identity account.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a system for securecommunication of data to a client service.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for secure communication of data to a client service.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions for another example embodiment of secure communication ofdata to a client service.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating trust relationships inaccordance with the system FIG. 14.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions in accordance with the system.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating example computer executableinstructions of another example embodiment for secure communalization ofdata to a client service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Mobile devices are used to operate many different types of applications,also called software programs. Many applications require a user tosign-in, register, or log-in to an account. Typically, a useridentification (e.g. a user name) and a password are used to verify thatthe correct user is logging into a particular account. If there are moreapplications that are used on a mobile device, then a user is requiredto remember more user identifications and passwords. This can betroublesome. Further, if a user would like to use multiple applicationsupon turning on the device, then the user typically needs to manuallyenter a user identification and password for each of the applications.This is a time consuming process.

The management of user identifications and passwords becomes morecumbersome when a user owns multiple mobile devices which may operatecommon applications. When using multiple mobile devices, the user mayneed to sign-on to the same application on each mobile device. Thus, theuser needs to sign-on multiple times. This process is also timeconsuming and inconvenient.

In other words, if there are many client applications that require auser to provide user identity information, the process of providing therequested user identity information requested becomes repetitive. If theuser also owns multiple mobile devices each with multiple clientapplications, the repetitive effect of providing the requestedinformation is multiplied.

Many client applications communicate with a remotely located clientservice for certain functionality. The client service often requiresparticular user profile data corresponding to the user of the mobiledevice. However, many users do not trust the mobile application with theuser profile data.

It is recognized that user identity information (also referred herein asuser profile data) is often used to register a new user onto anapplication account, or to sign a user into an application. The useridentity information may be personal information and a user may not wishto have the personal information provided to entities that are nottrusted. The user identity information can, for example, be used tocommit identity fraud. It is recognized that when a user repetitivelyprovides this personal information, it is possible that an adversaryperson or program has an increased chance to obtain the user identityinformation.

To address the above issues, turning to FIG. 1( a), the proposed systemsand methods provide an ID user agent 53 on a mobile device 10, whichcommunicates with an identity provider 206 over a network 20. The IDuser agent 53 (also referred to herein as a user agent), and identityprovider 206, manage the user identity information which may be requiredor requested by one or more client applications 202 on the mobile device202 or one or more client service 208 in communication with the clientapplications 202. The identity provider 206 and the client service 208are computing devices, such as for example, servers. A user's identityinformation may be stored centrally on the identity provider 206. Thismay provide centralized security for the user identity information, aswell as centralized access from multiple devices belonging to the user.

The mobile device 10 includes an operating system 134, user agent 53, IDsecure persistent credential store 35, and client application 202. Oneor more client applications can be stored on the mobile device 10. Eachclient application 202 includes a partner API 204 which is anapplication programming interface used to interact with the user agent53. The user agent 53 is invoked by the operating system 134, forexample, when the mobile device 10 is powering up. The user agent 53 canstore and retrieve data from the ID secure persistent credential store35. The user agent 53 can also store and retrieve data external to themobile device 10 on the identity provider 206, through network 20.

The user 200 interacts with the user agent 53 to provide and retrievedata. The user 200 also interacts with the client application 202.

The user agent 53 is used to manage the storage and retrieval of useridentity information requested from either the client application 202,or from the client service 208. Notably, the client service 208 cancommunicate to the user agent 53 through the client application 202 overthe network 20.

In an example embodiment, the client service 208 cannot communicatedirectly with the user agent 53 or the identity provider 206. Thislimits access to the user identity information stored on the identityprovider 206. The user agent 53 on the mobile device 10 may, forexample, be the only entity able to communicate with the identityprovider 206.

In general, a system for managing user identity information on a mobiledevice 10 is provided. The system comprises the mobile device 10comprising a user agent 53 and a client application 202, the user agent53 and the client application 202 in communication with each other. Thesystem further comprises an identity provider 206 in communication withthe mobile device 10, and a client service 208 in communication with themobile device 10. The user agent 53 is configured to communicate withthe identity provider 206 and retrieve the user identity information forthe client application 202, and the client application 202 is configuredto transmit the user identity information to the client service 208.

Turning to FIG. 1( b), a user 200 can use multiple mobile devices 10 a,10 b. Each of the mobile devices 10 a, 10 b interact with the identityprovider 206 and the client service 208 through the network 20. Examplesof different types of mobile devices 10 include smart phones, cellphones, personal digital assistants, pagers, hand-held wireless devices,e-readers, tablets, laptops, netbooks, etc.

The proposed systems and methods provide users with a single sign-onexperience when using client applications 202 and services on the mobiledevice 10. In other words, by signing into the user agent 53, a user 200can sign into multiple client applications 202 simultaneously. The user200 is also able to manage their identity information across multiplemobile devices 10. Therefore, regardless of which mobile device 10 theuser is using, the user is able to sign on to the same applicationswithout repetitively entering their information. The proposed systemsand methods also provide privacy and security of the user's personalinformation from client applications 202. From the user's perspective,the user's identity information is managed in a consistent, simple andnon-intrusive manner.

The following examples include communications between mobile or handhelddevices, which will be commonly referred to as mobile deviceshereinafter and referred to by numeral 10.

The mobile device 10 can be a multi-way communication device withadvanced data communication capabilities including the capability tocommunicate with other mobile devices 10 or computer systems through anetwork of transceiver stations. The mobile device 10 may also have thecapability to allow voice communication. Depending on the functionalityprovided by the mobile device 10, it may be referred to as a datamessaging device, tablet, a multi-way pager, a cellular telephone withdata messaging capabilities, a laptop, an e-reader, a wireless Internetappliance, or a data communication device (with or without telephonycapabilities). The mobile device 10 can also be one that is used in asystem that is configured for continuously routing all forms of pushedinformation from a host system 25 to the mobile device 10. One exampleof such a system will now be described making reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an example system diagram showing the redirection of user dataitems (such as message A or C) from an intermediary computer system(host system) 25 to the user's mobile device 10 via a wireless router26. The wireless router 26 provides the wireless connectivityfunctionality as it acts to both make transparent most of the wirelessnetwork's 20 complexities, and it also implements features necessary tosupport pushing data to the mobile device 10. Although not shown, aplurality of mobile devices may access data from the host system 25. Inthis example, message A in FIG. 2 represents an internal message sentfrom, e.g. a desktop computer (not shown) within the host system 25, toany number of server computers in the network (e.g. LAN), which may, ingeneral, include a database server, an event server, an E-mail server ora voice-mail server.

Message C in FIG. 2 represents an external message from a sender that isnot directly connected to the host system 25, such as the user's mobiledevice 10, some other user's mobile device (not shown), or any userconnected to the public or private network 24 (e.g. the Internet).Message C could be e-mail, voice-mail, event information, databaseupdates, web-page updates or could even represent a command message fromthe user's mobile device 10 to the host system 25. The host system 25may comprise, along with the typical communication links, hardware andsoftware associated with a computer network system, one or more wirelessmobility agents, a TCP/IP connection, a collection of data stores, (forexample a data store for e-mail could be an off-the-shelf mail serverlike Microsoft Exchange® Server or Lotus Notes® Server), all within andbehind a network firewall.

The mobile device 10 may be adapted for communication within wirelessnetwork 20 via wireless links, as required by each wireless network 20being used. As an illustrative example of the operation for a wirelessrouter 26 shown in FIG. 2, consider a data item A, repackaged in outerenvelope B (the packaged data item A now referred to as “data item (A)”)and sent to the mobile device 10 from an Application Service Provider(ASP) in the host system 25. Within the ASP is a computer program,similar to a wireless mobility agent, running on any computer in theASP's environment that is sending requested data items from a data storeto a mobile device 10. The mobile-destined data item (A) is routedthrough the network 24, and through the wireless router's 26 firewallprotecting the wireless router 26 (not shown).

Although the above describes the host system 25 as being used within anetworked environment, this is just one embodiment of one type of hostservice that offers push-based messages for a handheld wireless devicethat is capable of notifying and presenting the data to the user inreal-time at the mobile device when data arrives at the host system.

By offering a wireless router 26 (sometimes referred to as a “relay”,“message server”, “data redirector”, etc.), there are a number of majoradvantages to both the host system 25 and the wireless network 20. Thehost system 25 in general runs a host service that is considered to beany computer program that is running on one or more computer systems.The host service is said to be running on a host system 25, and one hostsystem 25 can support any number of host services. A host service may ormay not be aware of the fact that information is being channelled tomobile devices 10. For example an e-mail or message program 138 (seeFIG. 3) might be receiving and processing e-mail while an associatedprogram (e.g. an e-mail wireless mobility agent) is also monitoring themailbox for the user and forwarding or pushing the same e-mail to awireless device 10. A host service might also be modified to preparedand exchange information with mobile devices 10 via the wireless router26, like customer relationship management software. In a third example,there might be a common access to a range of host services. For examplea mobility agent might offer a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) connectionto several databases.

Although the system is exemplified as operating in a multi-waycommunications mode, certain aspects of the system could be used in a“one and one-half” or acknowledgment paging environment, or even with aone-way paging system. In such limited data messaging environments, thewireless router 26 still could abstract the mobile device 10 andwireless network 20, offer push services to standard web-based serversystems and allow a host service in a host system 25 to reach the mobiledevice 10 in many countries.

The host system 25 shown herein can have many methods when establishinga communication link to the wireless router 26. For one skilled in theart of data communications the host system 25 could use connectionprotocols like TCP/IP, X.25, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM or many otherprotocols to establish a point-to-point connection. Over this connectionthere are several tunnelling methods available to package and send thedata, some of these include: HTTP/HTML, HTTP/XML, HTTP/Proprietary, FTP,SMTP or some other proprietary data exchange protocol. The type of hostsystems 25 that might employ the wireless router 26 to perform pushcould include: field service applications, e-mail services, stock quoteservices, banking services, stock trading services, field salesapplications, advertising messages and many others. This wirelessnetwork 20 abstraction is made possible by the wireless router 26, whichimplements this routing and push functionality. The type ofuser-selected data items being exchanged by the host could include:E-mail messages, events, meeting notifications, address entries, journalentries, personal alerts, alarms, warnings, stock quotes, newsbulletins, bank account transactions, field service updates, stocktrades, heart-monitoring information, vending machine stock levels,meter reading data, GPS data, etc., but could, alternatively, includeany other type of message that is transmitted to the host system 25, orthat the host system 25 acquires through the use of intelligent agents,such as data that is received after the host system 25 initiates asearch of a database or a website or a bulletin board.

The wireless router 26 provides a range of services to make creating apush-based host service possible. These networks may comprise: (1) theCode Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, (2) the Groupe SpecialMobile or the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and theGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and (3) the existing and upcomingthird-generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) networks like EDGE,UMTS and HSDPA, LTE, Wi-Max etc. Some older examples of data-centricnetworks include, but are not limited to: (1) the Mobitex Radio Network(“Mobitex”) and (2) the DataTAC Radio Network (“DataTAC”).

To be effective in providing push services for host systems 25, thewireless router 26 may implement a set of defined functions. It can beappreciated that one could select many different hardware configurationsfor the wireless router 26, however, many of the same or similar set offeatures would likely be present in the different configurations. Thewireless router 26 may offer any one or more of the following featuresfor host services: 1) An addressing method so that mobile device 10traffic can be addressed to a host system 25 without the need for thewireless network 20 to assign an identity to each host system 25; 2) Anefficient and authenticated method for the host system 25 to initiate acommunication connection to the wireless router 26 for the purposes ofopening a communication tunnel to the one or more mobile devices 10 thatthe host system 25 wishes to communicate with; 3) A reliable method forexchanging data between the host system 25 and the mobile device 10, ina manner consistent with the abilities of the wireless network 20; 4)Providing feedback to the host system 25 when data is delivered, whichallows the host system to clean up any wireless delivery queues ifnecessary, or inform the original sender (user or program) that the datahas been delivered to the mobile device 10; 5) Implementation of awireless network 20 initiated push of services or data to a mobiledevice 10, from a wireless router 26; and 6) Connect to a wide range ofwireless networks 20 and provide a way of tracking the user's locationso that a ‘follow you anywhere’ solution can be provided.

An example configuration for the mobile device 10 is illustrated inFIGS. 3-4. Referring first to FIG. 3, shown therein is a block diagramof an example embodiment of a mobile device 10. The mobile device 10comprises a number of components such as a main processor 102 thatcontrols the overall operation of the mobile device 10. Communicationfunctions, including data and voice communications, are performedthrough a communication subsystem 104. It is appreciated however, thatthe mobile device 10 does not necessarily have voice communicationcapabilities, such as in tablets and e-readers, amongst others. Thecommunication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages toa wireless network 20. In this example embodiment of the mobile device10, the communication subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with theGSM and GPRS standards, which are used worldwide. Other communicationconfigurations that are equally applicable are the 3G and 4G networksdiscussed above. New standards are still being defined, but it isbelieved that they will have similarities to the network behaviourdescribed herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled inthe art that the embodiments described herein are intended to use anyother suitable standards that are developed in the future. The wirelesslink connecting the communication subsystem 104 with the wirelessnetwork 20 represents one or more different Radio Frequency (RF)channels, operating according to defined protocols specified forGSM/GPRS communications.

The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such asa Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, anauxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a keyboard116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, a GPS receiver 121, short-rangecommunications 122, and other device subsystems 124. As will bediscussed below, the short-range communications 122 can implement anysuitable or desirable device-to-device or peer-to-peer communicationsprotocol capable of communicating at a relatively short range, e.g.directly from one device to another. Examples include Bluetooth®, ad-hocWiFi, radio frequency identification (RFID), near field communications(NFC), infrared, or any “long-range” protocol re-configured to utilizeavailable short-range components. It will therefore be appreciated thatshort-range communications 122 may represent any hardware, software orcombination of both that enable a communication protocol to beimplemented between devices or entities in a short range scenario, suchprotocol being standard or proprietary.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 10 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thenetwork 20, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist.

The mobile device 10 can send and receive communication signals over thewireless network 20 after required network registration or activationprocedures have been completed. Network access is associated with asubscriber or user of the mobile device 10. To identify a subscriber,the mobile device 10 may use a subscriber module component or “smartcard” 126, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Removable UserIdentity Module (RUIM) and a Universal Subscriber Identity Module(USIM). In the example shown, a SIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is to be inserted intoa SIM/RUIM/USIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network.Without the component 126, the mobile device 10 may not be fullyoperational for communication with the wireless network 20. Once theSIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM/USIM interface 128, itis coupled to the main processor 102. It can be appreciated that inother example embodiments of the mobile device 10, a SIM/RUIM/USIM cardis not required, such as in tablets, e-readers, laptops, etc.

The mobile device 10 is typically a battery-powered device and in thisexample includes a battery interface 132 for receiving one or morerechargeable batteries 130. In at least some embodiments, the battery130 can be a smart battery with an embedded microprocessor. The batteryinterface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists thebattery 130 in providing power V+ to the mobile device 10. Althoughcurrent technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such asmicro fuel cells may provide the power to the mobile device 10.

In the examples described herein, the mobile device 10 comprises orotherwise has access to a cryptographic processor 123 which can beembodied in hardware, software, or a combination of the two. Also, aswill be discussed below, the cryptographic processor 123 may control auser agent 53 (shown in FIG. 4) which may represent a cryptographic orsecurity related application that cryptographically processes data. Themobile device 10 may also comprise internal or external memory or othercomputer readable media for storing computer executable instructions forenabling the cryptographic processor 123 to perform cryptographicoperations as is known in the art. As can be seen in FIG. 3, thecryptographic processor 123 may be independent of the main processor 102in a mobile device configuration, or may be implemented by specialinstructions or hardware associated with the main processor 102 itself.

The mobile device 10 also includes an operating system 134 and softwarecomponents 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that areexecuted by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system134 and the software components 136 to 146, such as specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can alsobe included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, may beinstalled on the mobile device 10 during its manufacture. Softwareapplications may include a message application 138, a device statemodule 140, a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, a connect module144 and an IT policy module 146. A message application 138 can be anysuitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device 10 tosend and receive electronic messages, wherein messages are typicallystored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 10. A device statemodule 140 provides persistence, i.e. the device state module 140ensures that important device data is stored in persistent memory, suchas the flash memory 108, so that the data is not lost when the mobiledevice 10 is turned off or loses power. A PIM 142 includes functionalityfor organizing and controlling data items of interest to the user, suchas, but not limited to, e-mail, text messages, instant messages,contacts, events, and voice mails, and may interact with the wirelessnetwork 20. A connect module 144 implements the communication protocolsthat are required for the mobile device 10 to communicate with thewireless infrastructure and any host system 25, such as an enterprisesystem, that the mobile device 10 is authorized to interface with. An ITpolicy module 146 receives IT policy data that encodes the IT policy,and may be responsible for organizing and securing rules such as the“Set Maximum Password Attempts” IT policy.

Other types of software applications or components 139 can also beinstalled on the mobile device 10. These software applications 139 caninclude pre-installed applications (i.e. other than message application138) and third party applications, which may be added after themanufacture of the mobile device 10. Examples of the applications 139include games, calculators, utilities, social media applications,shopping applications, banking and other financial applications,additional messaging applications, etc. The additional applications 139can be loaded onto the mobile device 10 through at least one of thewireless network 20, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112, the data port 114,the short-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitabledevice subsystem 124.

The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 10 and another computing device.The data port 114 can include a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 114 can include a USB port that includes datalines for data transfer and a supply line that can provide a chargingcurrent to charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 10.

For voice communications, received signals are output to the speaker118, and signals for transmission are generated by the microphone 120.Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished primarily throughthe speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used to provide additionalinformation such as the identity of a calling party, duration of a voicecall, or other voice call related information.

For composing data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, a useror subscriber could use a touch-sensitive overlay (not shown) on thedisplay 110 that is part of a touch screen display (not shown), inaddition to possibly the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. The auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112 may include devices such as: a mouse, track ball, trackpad, infrared fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel with dynamicbutton pressing capability. A composed item may be transmitted over thewireless network 20 through the communication subsystem 104.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the other software applications andcomponents 139 that may be stored on and used with the mobile device 10.Only examples are shown in FIG. 4 and such examples are not to beconsidered exhaustive. In this example, an instant messaging application50, calendar application 52 (or other event related organizer), a useragent 53, phone application 54, address book 56 and a profilesapplication 58 are shown to illustrate the various features that may beprovided by the mobile device 10. Also shown in FIG. 4 is the messageapplication 138, which in the following will be referred to as an emailapplication 138 for clarity and stores or otherwise has access to amessage database 36 for storing incoming and outgoing messages as wellas those stored in various folders. It will be appreciated that thevarious applications may operate independently or may utilize featuresof other applications. For example, the phone application 54 and emailapplication 138 may use the address book 56 for contact details obtainedfrom a list of contacts 34.

The instant messaging application 50 is an instant messaging servicethat may hosted and provided by the host system 25, e.g. using amessaging server at the wireless router 26 or may be associated with athird party instant messaging service (not shown). The instant messagingapplication 50 comprises or otherwise has access to contact informationoften referred to as a “buddy” list 30. The calendar application 52comprises or otherwise has access to a portion of memory, database orother data storage device storing calendar entries 32, which may includeany data or information associated with a particular date and time inthe calendar application 52 and may be displayed in a graphical userinterface (GUI) therefor. It can be appreciated that such softwareapplications and components 139 may require one or more operationalcertificates 33 to operate or function on the mobile device 10.

Continuing with FIG. 4, the user agent 53 comprises or otherwise hasaccess to a portion of memory, database or other data storage device forcryptographic data 33, which may include any data or informationassociated with cryptographic functions. In particular, the stored data33 includes, for example, certificates, tokens, public and private keys,and a listing of certificate authorities.

The user agent 53 also has access to the ID secure persistent credentialstorage 35. This data includes credential information that is highlysensitive. For example, in a mobile banking application, the credentialsstored are the verification code and PIN number. In government relatedclient applications, the credentials stored are a person's the socialsecurity number or social insurance number.

It will be appreciated that any module or component exemplified hereinthat executes instructions may include or otherwise have access tocomputer readable media such as storage media, computer storage media,or data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, forexample, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage mediamay include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information, suchas computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data, except transitory signals per se. Examples of computerstorage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used tostore the desired information and which can be accessed by anapplication, module, or both. Any such computer storage media may bepart of the mobile device 10, identity provider 206, client service 208,etc., or accessible or connectable thereto. Any application or moduleherein described may be implemented using computer readable/executableinstructions that may be stored or otherwise held by such computerreadable media.

A number of figures are discussed below with respect to the method ofestablishing and managing the personal identity information.

Turning now to FIG. 5, example computer executable instructions areprovided for establishing a user identity when the mobile device 10 is anew mobile device. For example, when the mobile device 10 comes “out ofthe box”, it is when a user first purchases a new mobile device 10 andtakes the mobile device 10 out of its box. At block 210, information andsoftware libraries for the identity account are installed onto themobile device 10 during the factory setup. However, at this stage, theuser's identity has not been created or registered.

It is appreciated that the user identity is, in some cases, referred toin the drawings as BBID. The term BBID refers to BlackBerry ID. However,more generally, BBID is the user identity, and the principles describedherein apply to managing identity information on various types of mobiledevices.

At block 212, the mobile device 10 provides one or more GUI's tofacilitate registering a user's identity when the user first turns onthe mobile device 10. It is determined if the user would like to createa new user identity account or would like to sign-in to an existing useridentity account (block 214). If the user selects the option to sign-in,then at block 216, the sign-in process is invoked. Otherwise, if theuser selects the option to create a new user identity account, at block218, the account setup process is invoked. After the user ID has beenestablished and the user has signed into the user account, there may befurther setup operations (block 220). At block 220 there are othersystem setup operations that take place, such as setting up email,downloading the user agent 53, etc. When the overall setup is done, thesystem downloads the actual running image and reboots. The runningimage, for example, refers to the software installed after the firstsetup. In an example embodiment, the version of the running image thatis downloaded is considered to be the latest or most recent version.

The process for establishing the user identity is different whenpowering up a mobile device 10 in a non-factory setting, for example,when the user has already been the owner of the mobile device 10 forsome time, or there is a previous owner of the mobile device 10. Turningto FIG. 6, at block 222, the mobile device 10 is powered-up, or turnedon. At block 224, it is determined if there is a previously authorizedor authenticated user having user identity information associated withthe mobile device 10. This user identity information would be known tothe user agent 53. If not, at block 232, the user identity sign-inprocess is invoked. From the sign-in process, an identity token iscreated and stored on the mobile device 10 (block 230). If, however,there is a previously authorized user, at block 226, the previouslyauthorized user's identity token is refreshed. If the token issuccessfully refreshed, the refreshed token is stored (block 230). Ifthe token is not able to be refreshed, then the sign-in process isinvoked (block 232).

Upon storing the token, the GUI returns to a main screen provided by theuser agent 53 or the client application's screen (block 234).

Turning to FIG. 7, example computer executable instructions are providedfor signing into a user identity account. At block 236, the mobiledevice 10, through the user agent 53 displays a sign-in GUI. The optionsprovided include creating a new user identity account, signing into anexisting user identity account, or retrieving access information if theuser identity sign-in information is forgotten (block 238).

If the user 200 selects the ‘forgot’ option, at block 240, the passwordrecovery GUI is invoked. One or more secret questions may be provided toconfirm the identity of the user. If the correct answer or answers areprovided (block 242), then the successful password recovery GUI isinvoked (block 244). Otherwise, the failed password recovery GUI isinvoked (block 246), and the process returns to block 236.

If the user 200 selects the ‘sign-in’ option, at block 250, the user'sidentity information is authenticated. For example, a user enters ausername and password into the mobile device 10, and the mobile device10 confirms if the provided information is correct. If theauthentication process has passed (block 252), then an identity token iscreated and stored (block 256). If the authentication process has failed(block 252), then a GUI showing that the failed authentication isdisplayed (block 254) and the process returns to block (236).

If the user 200 selects the ‘create’ option, at block 248, the identityaccount setup process is invoked. Upon creating the account, the sign-inprocess begins, continuing with block 250.

FIG. 8 provides example computer executable instructions for registeringa new user identity account. At block 258, a GUI is displayed for theidentity account setup. The mobile device 10 poses a number of questionsand receives account information (e.g. username, passwords, secretquestions), which also includes the user's identity information (e.g.contact information, personal information, first name, middle name, lastname, birth date, sex, address, phone number, email address,citizenship, etc.) from the user 200. At block 260, it is determined ifthe setup process has been a success. The identity provider 206 mayverify the account information. The identity provider 206 stores theaccount information, including the user's identity information. If theidentity provider 206 cannot be reached by the mobile device 10 or theidentity provider 206 determines that the same account already exists,then the setup fails. If the setup has failed, at block 262, a GUI isdisplayed stating that there has been setup error or failure. Theprocess then returns to block 258. If the setup is successful, at block264, a GUI is displayed welcoming the new user. The new user'scredentials (e.g. username and password) are stored, for example, in theID secure persistent credential store 35.

FIG. 9 provides an example GUI 268 used to obtain information from auser 200 to create a new user identity account. There are multiple textfields that allow a user to enter in his/her user name 270, emailaddress 272, passwords 274, security questions 276, and security answer278. There may be additional fields to receive other types of useridentity information.

FIG. 10 provides an example GUI 280 used to obtain the user name 282 andpassword 284 when a user signs into user identity account. A ‘forgotyour password’ button 286 is also provided to invoke the process ofrecovering a user's password.

Turning to FIG. 11, example computer executable instructions and systemare provided for creating a user identity. At 288, the operating system134 triggers the user identity login process. The process is performedby the user agent 53. At 290, the user agent 53 displays a login GUI onthe display 110 of the mobile device 10. At 292, the mobile user agent53 receives an indication from the user 200 to create a new useridentity. At 294, the user agent 53 displays a GUI, to create new useridentity account, on the mobile device 10. At 296, the user agent 53receives the account data (e.g. user name, password, etc.) and the useridentity information. At 298, the user agent 53 contacts the identityprovider 206 to create a new user identity. At 300, the identityprovider 206 responds with its status. The status information includesindicating whether an account exists, or if there are general serverprocessing errors, or if the request for a user identity is accepted. Ifthe identity provider 206 responds that the request is accepted, at 302,the user agent 53 sends the user's credentials to the identity provider206. The identity provider 206 checks the credentials to determine theirauthenticity and accuracy. Non-limiting examples of credentials includeusername, password, facial recognition, speech recognition, biometricfeature(s), etc. If the credentials are successfully verified, then theidentity provider 206 issues an identity token to the user agent 53(304). The token has an expiry date, to ensure that identity andcredential information is updated or refreshed periodically. The tokenis periodically refreshed by the user agent 53 re-submitting credentials(e.g. username and password) to the identity provider 206. Ifauthentication fails, the user is prompted again to submit thecredentials. At 306, the identity username and password, as well as thetoken issued by the identity provider, is stored in the ID securepersistent credential store 35.

Usefully, user agent 53 is able to automatically refresh the token (e.g.by contacting the identity provider 206) without prompting the user.Furthermore, in an example embodiment, only the identity provider 206 isable to extract and use the token stored on the ID secure persistentcredential store 35.

Turning to FIG. 12, example computer executable instructions and systemare provided for allowing a user to log into the user agent 53. At 308,the operating system 134 on the mobile device 10 triggers the useridentity login process at the user agent 53. The operating system 134can trigger this action when powering-up the mobile device 10 having noprevious user, or when setting up the mobile device 10 having noprevious user. The user sign-in process is persistent across powercycles. In other words, if the user has signed-in on the mobile device10 at least once on a previous occasion, for future occasions, forexample, the user does not need to sign-in every time when powering themobile device 10 on and off.

At 310, the user agent 53 displays a user login screen (e.g. display GUI280) on the mobile device's display 110. At 312, the mobile device 10receives from the user 200 their credentials, such as their username andpassword. At 314, the user's credentials are forwarded from the useragent 53 on the mobile device 10 to the identity provider 206. Theidentity provider 206 verifies whether the credentials are correct. Ifthe credentials are successfully verified, at 316, the identity provider206 generates a user identity token and returns the token to the mobiledevice 10. If the credentials provided fail in the verification process,then the mobile device 10 prompts the user 200 again to provide thecredentials.

At 318, upon the mobile device 10 receiving a token from the identityprovider 206, a secure credential store for the user 200 is created. Theuser's username, password and token are stored in the secure credentialstore 35. The token stored in the secure credential store 35 isrefreshed by the user agent 53 and the identity provider 206 withoutprompting the user 200. The identity provider 206 has access to extractand use the token on the mobile device 10, through the user agent 53.Other applications, such as the client application 202 on mobile device10, or the client service 208, are not able to access the token.

FIG. 13 provides example computer executable instructions and system fora client application 202 or client service 208, or both, logging ontothe user agent 53. This allows the client application 202 or clientservice 208 to retrieve the user's information through the user agent53. For example, in order for a user 200 to login into the Facebook™server (e.g. a client service 208) through the mobile device's Facebook™application (e.g. client application 202), the user 200 must enter theirFacebook™ username and password into Facebook™ application. The proposedsystems and methods allows a user 200 to enter in their Facebook™credentials, associate the Facebook™ credentials with their useridentity, and store their Facebook™ credentials on the ID securepersistent credential store 35. This process can be used for variousother client applications. In this way, when a user 200 logs into theuser agent 53 using their user identity, the user agent 53 also logsinto all the associated client applications 202. This usefully allows auser 200 to use a single sign-on action to sign into multiple otherapplications. It can be appreciated that Facebook™ is only an exampleclient application and that other applications can be used.

It can be understood that the ID secure persistent credential store 35can store the credentials for logging into the user agent 53 (e.g.username and password), the token, and the credentials for the clientapplication or the client applications.

It is appreciated that each client application 202 includes a partnerAPI 204 that allows the client application 202 to interface orcommunicate with the user agent 53.

In FIG. 13, it is assumed that the user 200 is already signed into theuser agent 53 using their user identity. At 320, the user 200 invokesthe client application 202, such as by opening the client application202. Alternatively, the partner API 204 autonomously initiates a requestfor the user identity credentials associated with the user agent 53.

At 322, if the client application 202 is not already logged into by theuser 200, the partner API 204 requests the user's credentials (e.g.username and password) from the user agent 53. If the client application202 is already associated or registered with the user agent 53, then theuser's credentials for the client application 202 will be stored in theID secure persistent credential store 35, and retrievable through theuser agent 53. If the client application 202 is not already associatedor registered with the user agent 53, then the user's credentials forthe client application must be obtained and then stored in the ID securepersistent credential store 35.

Usefully, the client application 202 can only access the credentialsassociated with the client application 202 that have been stored on theID secure persistent credential store 35. The client application 202 hasa public key and corresponding private key, which is provided by thepartner API 204. The client application's public key and private keypair is provided by the code signing authority. For example, when aclient application developer signs up to develop an application for themobile device 10, the developer receives from the code signing authoritya signing key that is used to sign their files. The proposed system usesthe signing key to determine identity of the client application 202.

At 324, if the user agent 53 determines that the credentials for theclient application 202 have not been stored in the ID secure persistentcredential store 35, then the user agent 53 sends a response to thepartner API 204 that there no credentials for the client application202. At 326, the partner API 204 displays a GUI on the display 110 toprompt the user 200 to provide the credentials for the clientapplication 202. At 328, the mobile device 10 receives the credentialsfor the client application 202. The partner API 204 then requests theuser agent 53 to store the credentials of the client application 202(330). At 332, the user agent 53 stores the credentials for the clientapplication 202 onto the ID secure persistent credential store 35. At336, using the credentials for the client application 202, the clientapplication 202 can then log into the client service 208 over thenetwork 20 (334). The client service 208 can then return informationback to the client application 202 on the mobile device 10 (338).

Alternatively, if the user agent 53 determines that the credentials forthe client application 202 are stored in the ID secure persistentcredential store 35, then the user agent 53 retrieves the credentialsfor the client application and provides them to the partner API 204. Theclient application 202 then uses the retrieved credentials (for theclient application 202) to log into the client service 208 (336). It canbe appreciated that in this latter scenario, in which the credentialsfor the client application 202 have already been stored on the mobiledevice 10, the user agent 53 can automatically log a user 200 into theclient service 208 without requiring the user 200 to input anycredentials. This conveniently saves time.

In another example embodiment, the identity provider 206 may also storeuser identity information (e.g. personal information) that is requestedby the client service 208. The client service 208 may send a request forthe user identity information data to the client application 202. Theclient application 202, through the partner API 204, forwards therequest for user identity information to the user agent 53. The useragent 53 then forwards the request for user identity information alongwith the user identity token to the identity provider 206. Upon theidentity provider 206 successfully authenticating the user identitytoken, the identity provider 206 provides the requested user identityinformation back to the user agent 53. The user agent 53 then sends theretrieved user identity information to the client application 202, whichtransmits the same to the client service 208. It can be appreciated thatthe user identity information may be encrypted by the identity provider206, such that only the client service 208 can decrypt the encrypteduser data.

In general, an example system and method are provided for managing useridentity information on a mobile device. The system includes: the mobiledevice comprising a user agent and a client application, the user agentand the client application in communication with each other; an identityprovider in communication with the mobile device, the user identityinformation stored on the identity provider; a client service incommunication with the mobile device; and wherein the user agent isconfigured to communicate with the identity provider and retrieve theuser identity information for the client application, and the clientapplication is configured to transmit the user identity information tothe client service.

In another aspect, the identity provider is a server, and the clientservice is another server. In another aspect, the system furthercomprises an application program interface (API) in association with theclient application, the API configured to allow the client applicationto communicate with the client application. In another aspect, themobile device comprises an operating system, the operating systemconfigured to invoke the user agent when turning on the mobile device.In another aspect, the mobile device comprises multiple clientapplications, and the mobile device is configured to, upon signing intothe user agent, sign into the multiple client applications. In anotheraspect, the mobile device further comprises a credential storeconfigured to store at least user credentials, the credential store incommunication with the user agent. In another aspect, the usercredentials comprises a username and a password. In another aspect, theuser agent is further configured to: display a graphical user interface,and receive through the GUI the user credentials; send the usercredentials to the identity provider for verification; if the usercredentials are verified, receiving a token from the identity provider;and store the token and the user credentials in the credential store. Inanother aspect, the client application is configured to: receive arequest from the client service for the user identity information;forward the request and the token to the identity provider; and receivethe user identity information from the identity provider. In anotheraspect, the identity provider is configured to authenticate the token,and if authenticated, the identity provider is further configured tosend the user identity information to the identity provider. In anotheraspect, the credential store is further configured to store credentialsfor the client application. In another aspect, to sign into the clientapplication, the user agent is further configured to retrieve from thecredential store the credentials for the client application and send thecredentials for the client application to the client application; andthe client application is further configured to use the credentials forthe client application to log into the client application.

It is also recognized that one or more client services corresponding toone or more client applications of the mobile device may not have, orwant, the capability to authenticate users of the client service orcompile user profile data of these users.

For example, a user may not trust a client application to have orcommunicate its user profile data, or the client application may assumethat the user does not trust the client application with this userprofile data.

In another example, the user may not trust the network, such as theinternet or a wireless channel, over which user profile data would havebeen communicated between the client application and the client service.

It has been recognized that in order to address the above problems, atrusted user agent and trusted identity provider may enable securecommunication of user profile data to client services. The user mayprefer to enable the trusted identity provider to provide only requireduser profile data to client services without exposing the user profiledata to client applications.

Such a secure communication method prevents a client application, whichmay be untrusted, from obtaining user profile data while enabling a userto utilize a client service corresponding to that client application.

Furthermore, such a secure communication method enables a user toutilize a plurality of such client services without requiring manuallyproviding user profile data to each of the plurality of such clientservices.

In one aspect, a system and method for secure communication of data to aservice are provided.

In another example embodiment of the identity management system, andreferring to FIG. 14, the system comprises a mobile device 10 on which auser 200 can be authenticated, the mobile device 10 comprising a useragent 53 and one or more client applications 202. The system alsoincludes an identity provider 206 operable to establish networkcommunication with the user agent 53 over the network 20, and one ormore client services 208 operable to establish network communicationwith the client application 202 over the network 20 (or anothernetwork). The identity provider 206 is linked to a user profile database1416 configured to store user profile data associated with the user 200.

The client service 208 requests user profile data from the clientapplication 202 and, in response, an encrypted token comprising userprofile data and a token secret is generated by the identity provider206 and communicated to the client service 208 for decryption. The tokensecret is also communicated to the client application 202 to provideproof of ownership of the token secret, which can be provided to theclient service 208 to validate the token. The client application 202does not require knowledge of any user profile data in order for theclient service 208 to validate the user profile data.

The identity provider 206 may be linked to a key store 1418 and eachclient service 208 may each be linked to a key store 1420, each keystore 1418, 1420 operable to store encryption keys. The encryption keysmay be provided in accordance with a public key infrastructure (PKI)encryption scheme and, more particularly, may be provided in accordancewith an elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) scheme.

For example, the identity provider 206 is associated with the encryptionkey pair comprising an identity provider's public key 1431 andcorresponding private key 1430. The client service 208 is associatedwith the encryption key pair comprising a client service's public key1432 and corresponding private key 1433. The identity provider's privatekey 1430 and the client service's public key 1432 are stored on the keystore 1418. The identity provider's public key 1431 and the clientservice's private key 1433 are stored on the key store 1420.

The user agent may include a memory 1422 for caching tokens or tokensecrets or both.

Turning to FIG. 17, although the user may not trust the clientapplication with user profile data, the user may trust the clientapplication 1702 to interact with the client service on the user'sbehalf. The user may also trust the identity provider with the user'sinformation 1704 and the user agent to impersonate the user 1706.

The identity provider correspondingly may trust the user 1708 based onthe user's knowledge of appropriate credentials provided on the mobiledevice and known to the user agent. The identity provider may also trustthe client service 1710 with the user profile data that it provides tothe client service.

The client service may trust that the identity provider 1712 isproviding the client service with correct user profile data that itrequested. Such a trust can be established, for example, prior to anadministrator of the identity provider enabling a particular clientservice to participate in the secure communication method.

Each particular client service may rely on the identity provider foruser profile data including for authentication or compilation or both ofuser profile data, and may interface with the user agent to communicaterequested user profile data to the client service.

Although the secure communication method may be applied to any number ofone or more client services and one or more client applicationscorresponding to a mobile device having one or more users, forsimplicity a single client service in communication with a single clientapplication corresponding to a mobile device having one user will bedescribed.

In another aspect, and referring now to FIG. 15, the method comprisesgenerating an encrypted token 1502 comprising user profile data and atoken secret that is decryptable only by the client service 208,communicating the token 1504 to the client service for decryption,communicating the token secret 1506 to the client application, andverifying that the token secret communicated to the client applicationis equal to the token secret of the token 1508. If the token secretcommunicated to the client application is equal to the token secret ofthe token, then the client service can have a high confidence that thetoken includes the user profile data requested, and may use the userprofile data as desired. In an example embodiment, if the token secretcommunicated to the client application is equal to the token secret ofthe token, the client service concludes or records that the tokenincludes the user profile data requested and uses the user profile data.Otherwise, the steps 1502-1508 may be repeated or the client service mayabandon the request for user profile data. It should be appreciated thatsteps 1504 and 1506 may be carried out concurrently or sequentially ineither order. For example, execute 1504, then execute 1506; or execute1506, then execute 1504; or asynchronously in either order.

In another example embodiment, and referring now to FIG. 16, the methodmore specifically may comprise a client application generating a requestto a user agent for user profile data 1602, the user agent providing therequest to an identity provider 1604, the identity provider generating atoken secret and an encrypted token 1606 comprising the user profiledata and a token secret and communicating the token and token secret tothe client application via the user agent 1608, the client applicationproviding the client service with the token 1610 for decrypting thetoken, and the client application providing a proof of ownership of thetoken 1612, based on the token secret, to the client service to validatethe user profile data.

Turning now to FIG. 18, a client service may request user profile datacorresponding to a user, once the user is associated with a user accountby the identity provider, as previously described. The user may be oneof the one or more users presently authenticated to the mobile device,the present user being identifiable among the remaining users aspreviously described. The user agent is aware of which user is presentlyauthenticated to the mobile device.

User profile data may comprise one or more claims. In an exampleembodiment, a claim comprises a fact about the user, which can be statedby another entity. The other entity which states the facts, or generatesclaims, is considered an authority and can also attest to the truth ofthe claim. Some claims are mandatory (e.g. must be included in thetoken), and other claims are optional (e.g. optionally included in thetoken). Examples of claims include a user identifier and a username. Inan example embodiment, the user identifier in a claim is referred to asan ecoID. It is an identification that remains with the user across alldevices belonging to the user. The ecoID also does not change. Forexample, although the user may change the username or the password, theecoID does not change. The ecoID comprises, for example, a number.

In an example embodiment, the ecoID is a property within the token thatwill not change over time.

The user profile data may comprise an authentication status of the user,so as to enable authentication of the user on the particular clientservice requesting the user profile data, and user personal data thatthe identity provider or the user or both has authorized to be sharedwith the client service. It should be understood that the communicationof user personal data from the identity provider to the client servicedoes not necessarily include personally identifiable information aboutthe user.

User profile data is requested by the client service from the identityprovider, via the client application and user agent. For example, a usermay access a client application 1802 on the mobile device. The clientapplication corresponds to a client service. The client application maycommunicate with the client service to initiate use of the clientservice 1804. The client service may correspondingly issue a challengeto the client application 1806 requiring that the client applicationprovide particular user profile data, such as authentication informationto authenticate the user, for example, to the client service. However,the client application may not be trusted by the user with this userprofile data.

The client application requests the user profile data, such asauthentication information in this example, from the user agent 1808 andprovides the user agent with a client application identifier. The useragent determines whether it has previously requested the particular userprofile data for the particular user service and has cached acorresponding token and token secret.

If the user agent has not, it requests the user profile data from theidentity provider 1810. Since the user agent is in possession of usercredentials for the current user of the mobile device, the user agentcan communicate all or part of the user credentials to the identityprovider to inform the identity provider of which user the clientservice is inquiring. If the user agent has a cached corresponding tokenand token secret, it may not need to request the user profile data fromthe identity provider.

If requested, the identity provider generates an encrypted token thatcan be decrypted only by the client service, preventing the clientapplication from accessing the user profile data. The token may comprisethe user profile data, a token secret, and any other data, which is alsoreferred to as metadata.

The token and token secret are provided by the identity provider to theuser agent 1812, which the user agent may cache. The client applicationmay request the token and token secret from the user agent.

Optionally, the user agent initiates a prompt to be provided to the uservia a user interface of the mobile device. The prompt may requestexplicit consent from the user to enable the user agent to provide thetoken and token secret to the client application. If the user does notconsent, the user agent does not release at least the token to theclient application. If the user does consent, the user agent releasesthe token and token secret to the client application.

Communication of the token and token secret to the correct clientapplication 1814 can be ensured by establishing security between eachclient application and the user agent. This can be by issuing, orrecognizing an existing, certificate to verify the identity of anyparticular client application. Certificates may be administered by acertifying authority.

Alternatively, or in addition, the user agent may be configured torecognize a certain set of client applications and communicate securelywith the certain set of client applications so as to prevent tokens andtoken secrets from being provided to client applications other thanthose intended.

The token and token secret may only be provided to the clientapplication that has a client application identifier matching the clientapplication identifier provided to the user agent at the time of therequest. Upon receipt of the token and token secret from the user agent,the client application may then communicate the token to the clientservice 1816.

The client service decrypts the token to obtain the user profile data,metadata and token secret. The client service can also request that theclient application communicate its copy of the token secret, or otherproof of ownership of the token secret, to the client service 1818 forverifying that the client application is the particular clientapplication that the client service wishes to rely upon, enabling theclient service to rely on the received user profile data and metadata.

The identity provider may be operable to generate a specific token andtoken secret for each client application and corresponding clientservice. This can be provided by encryption.

Communication of the request for user profile data 1806 andcorresponding communications of the token 1812, 1814, 1816 may beencrypted. The encryption may, for example, be provided by PKI thatcomprises a public key and corresponding private key. The particular PKImay be provided by ECC.

At least two public/private key pairs may be provided, a first key pairreferred to herein as the client service encryption key pair and asecond key pair referred to herein as the authentication token signingkey pair.

The client service encryption key pair comprises a private key knownonly to a particular client service and a public key known at least bythe identity provider. The client service may comprise a key store forstoring the private key of the client service encryption key pair. Theidentity provider may comprise a key store for storing the public key ofthe client service encryption key pair. Each client service may beassociated with a unique client service encryption key pair, and theidentity provider's key store may store all public keys for all clientservices.

The authentication token signing key pair comprises a private key knownonly to the identity provider and a public key known by all clientservices. The key store of the identity provider may store the privatekey of the authentication token signing key pair. The key store of eachclient service may store the public key of the authentication tokensigning key pair.

The tokens and token secrets may be cacheable by the user agent for apredetermined amount of time to reduce the amount of communicationrequired between the user agent and the identity provider and to enableservices to receive user profile data when the mobile device is notconnected by network to the identity provider. The token secret may beregenerated by the identity provider after the predetermined amount oftime, which may be, for example, hours or days. When the token secret isregenerated, tokens must also be regenerated by the identity provider.

The authentication token signing key pair and the client serviceencryption key pair may also be regenerated, and the present key pairrevoked, after predetermined amounts of time to increase security. Theclient services and the identity provider may be configured to recognizerecently revoked key pairs for a predetermined amount of time during atransition period until the new key pair has become known to all clientservices. This enables cached and in-flight authentication tokens toremain valid until received. Once revoked, the particular keys may bedeleted from their respective key stores.

For example, the client services and the identity provider may beconfigured to recognize a recently revoked authentication token signingkey pair until all client services have confirmed receipt of the newpublic key of the authentication token signing key pair to the identityprovider.

Similarly, each client service and the identity provider may beconfigured to recognize a recently revoked client service encryption keypair until the identity provider has confirmed receipt of the new publickey of the particular client service encryption key pair to theparticular client service.

Any of the keys and key pairs may also be regenerated on demand, forexample when a breach of security has been detected.

By way of background, asymmetric encryption algorithms have a low limiton the size of the encrypted data. In practice, an example processcalled “Asymmetric encryption” is composed of: generating an ephemeralsymmetric key; encrypting the data with the symmetric key; encryptingthe symmetric key with an asymmetric crypto method (e.g. RSA, ECC, etc .. . ); and concatenate the encrypted symmetric key with the encrypteddata. Even though it uses a combination of symmetric and asymmetricalgorithms, this process is considered asymmetric because only theprocess that knows the asymmetric decryption key can decrypt theephemeral symmetric key, and hence decrypt the data.

Turning now to FIG. 19, the client application issues a service request1902 to the client service. This request may be service specific. Theclient service may issue a challenge to the client application andindicates to the client application the particular claims required 1904,for example, that an authentication token is required. The challenge maybe service specific. In a separate example embodiment, the fact that aclient service requires a specific authentication token may be apre-established policy within the client application.

The client application requests 1906 a token, corresponding to therequired claims, from the user agent, including by providing a clientapplication identifier to the user agent. The request specifies a tokentype that is needed by the client service and a client serviceidentifier that identifies the client service. The client serviceidentifier enables the identity provider to encrypt the token with theapplicable public key for the particular requesting client service. Thetoken type or the client service identifier or both may be encoded inthe challenge, configured at run time or known at compile time, based onparticular implementation details.

The user agent determines whether it has a valid token for theparticular client service in its cache 1908. If it does not, the useragent requests a token 1910 from the identity provider.

The identity provider generates a token 1912 comprising user profiledata that includes the particular claims required by the client service,a token secret, and metadata, and encrypts the token with public key1432 of the particular client service's client service encryption keypair. The identity provider further signs the token by encrypting adigest of the token, or the token itself, with the private key 1430 ofthe identity provider's signing key pair.

The identity provider communicates 1914 the token and token secret tothe user agent.

If the user agent does have the valid token in its cache, it provides itto the client application 1916. Regardless of whether the user agentrequired the token from the identity provider or had the token in itscache, the user agent then provides the token and token secret 1916 tothe client application that has a client application identifier matchingthe client application identifier provided with the request. The clientapplication sends the proof of ownership which may be computed based onthe client service's challenge and communicates the service request,token and proof of ownership to the client service 1918.

The client service decrypts the token 1920 with the private key 1433 ofits client service encryption key pair, validates the token 1922 bydecrypting the signed token with the identity provider's public key 1431(of the identity provider's encryption key pair) and extracts the tokensecret 1924, and user profile data. The client service then optionallycomputes the challenge response 1926 based on token secret andchallenge, and optionally verifies that the proof of ownership 1928 sentby the client application matches the expected value. The clientapplication also provides the client service with proof of ownership ofthe token secret 1930, which can for example be by http digest oranother service specific mechanism to proving knowledge of a sharedsecret.

If the client service is able to decrypt the token and validate thetoken secret, the client service knows that the token was issued by theidentity provider for the particular client service and was provided bythe client application that knows the token secret. The clientapplication that sent the token is also known to be the clientapplication that requested the token on the basis of the user agent onlyproviding the token and token secret to the client application that madethe request. It is also known that the user profile data, that is theclaims, were valid at the time the identity provider generated thetoken, and that the token refers to the user that was authenticated onthe user device at the time the token was generated.

In general, an example system and method are provided for securecommunication of data to a client service in communication with a clientapplication. The method includes: generating an encrypted token, thetoken comprising user profile data and a token secret, the token beingdecryptable by the client service; communicating the token to the clientservice for decryption; and communicating the token secret to the clientapplication; wherein the client service is operable to verify that thetoken secret communicated to the client application is equal to thetoken secret of the token.

In another aspect, the identity provider generates the token secret, theidentity provider in communication with a mobile device, and the mobiledevice comprising the client application. In another aspect, if thetoken secret communicated to the client application is equal to thetoken secret of the token, the client service has a high confidence thatthe token comprises the user profile data.

The steps or operations in the flow charts described herein are just forexample. There may be many variations to these steps or operationswithout departing from the spirit of the invention or inventions. Forinstance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps maybe added, deleted, or modified.

Although the above principles have been described with reference tocertain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope ofthe claims appended hereto.

1. A method performed by a mobile device for secure communication ofdata to a client service in communication with a client application onthe mobile device, the method comprising: obtaining a token secret andan encrypted token, the encrypted token comprising user profile data andthe token secret, the encrypted token being decryptable by the clientservice; the client application communicating the token secret and theencrypted token to the client service; and wherein the client service isoperable to verify that the token secret communicated to the mobiledevice is equal to the token secret of the encrypted token.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the encrypted token is only decryptable by theclient service.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the mobiledevice sending a request for the user profile data; and in response tothe request, the mobile device obtains the token secret and theencrypted token by receiving the token secret and the encrypted tokenfrom an identity provider.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the clientapplication generates the request and provides the request to a useragent on the mobile device, and the user agent receives the token secretand the encrypted token from the identity provider.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein a user agent on the mobile device obtains and stores thetoken secret and the encrypted token.
 6. The method of claim 5 whereinthe user agent sends the token secret and the encrypted token to theclient application, and the client application communicates the tokensecret and the encrypted token to the client service.
 7. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the user agent stores the token secret and the encryptedtoken for a predetermined amount of time before being revoked.
 8. Themethod of claim 5 wherein multiple users are authenticated to the mobiledevice, and the user agent identifies which one of the multipleplurality of users is presently authenticated to the mobile device. 9.The method of claim 5 wherein the user agent issues a prompt to the uservia a user interface of the mobile device requesting consent to providethe token and the token secret to the client application, and if theuser agent does not receive consent, then the user agent does notprovide at least the token to the client application.
 10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the user profile data includes an ecoID for identifyinga user, the ecoID is a property of the token that does not change overtime.
 11. A mobile device configured for secure communication of data toa client service, the mobile device comprising a processor, memory, acommunication device and a client application, and the mobile device isconfigured to at least: obtain a token secret and an encrypted token,the token comprising user profile data and the token secret, the tokenbeing decryptable by the client service; communicate the token secretand the encrypted token to the client service via the clientapplication; and wherein the client service is operable to verify thatthe token secret obtained by the mobile device is equal to the tokensecret of the encrypted token.
 12. The mobile device of claim 11 whereinthe encrypted token is only decryptable by the client service.
 13. Themobile device of claim 11 wherein the mobile device is furtherconfigured to at least: send a request for the user profile data; and inresponse to the request, obtain the token secret and the encrypted tokenby receiving the token secret and the encrypted token from an identityprovider.
 14. The mobile device of claim 13 wherein mobile devicefurther comprises a user agent in communication with the clientapplication, and the client application is configured to at leastgenerate the request and provide the request to the user agent, and theuser agent is configured to receive the token secret and the encryptedtoken from the identity provider.
 15. The mobile device of claim 11wherein the mobile device further comprises a user agent to obtain andstore the token secret and the encrypted token.
 16. The mobile device ofclaim 15 wherein the user agent is further configured to at least sendthe token secret and the encrypted token to the client application, andthe client application is further configured to at least communicate thetoken secret and the encrypted token to the client service.
 17. Themobile device of claim 15 wherein the user agent us further configuredto at least store the token secret and the encrypted token for apredetermined amount of time before being revoked.
 18. The mobile deviceof claim 15 wherein multiple users are authenticated to the mobiledevice, and the user agent is further configured to at least identifywhich one of the multiple plurality of users is presently authenticatedto the mobile device.
 19. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein themobile device further comprises a user interface, and the user agent isfurther configured to at least issue a prompt to the user via the userinterface requesting consent to provide the token and the token secretto the client application, and if the user agent does not receiveconsent, then the user agent is further configured to not provide atleast the token to the client application.
 20. The mobile device ofclaim 11 wherein the user profile data includes an ecoID for identifyinga user, the ecoID is a property of the token that does not change overtime.
 21. A method performed by a client service for securecommunication of data with a client application, the method comprising:sending a request to the client application for user profile data;receiving a token secret and an encrypted token, the encrypted tokencomprising the user profile data and the token secret; decrypting theencrypted token; and when the client service determines the token secretis equal to the token secret of the encrypted token, validating the userprofile data.